Your Heart She's Mangling
by broadwaybaby4205
Summary: ONESHOT! PreRENT. Did Mark really learn to tango with Nannette Himmelfarb, the rabbi's daughter at the Scarsdale Jewish Community Center, or was it someone else? Pairings: MarkMaureen and MarkRoger FRIENDSHIP. Rated for one curse word.


**Author's Note: Hello, everyone. So this is a boredom inspired fanfic. It's Mark/Maureen and it's pre-RENT. Please read and review. ******** Merci.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned RENT, I would be taking tango lessons with Mark at the Scarsdale Jewish Community Center.**

Mark Cohen hated tango lessons. Seriously, what was the point? When in real life would he ever need to know how to tango? His mother was making him take them because she thought it was a "good opportunity". The Rabbi Himmelfarb's daughter, Nannette, was giving tango lessons at the Scarsdale Jewish Community Center for ten dollars per lesson. She was attempting to raise money to go NYU, and this was how. Luckily, Mrs. Cohen paid for the lessons rather than Mark. She thought it was a "good cause to donate her money to". Mark was fifteen. Honestly. You would think his mother would let him make his own decisions, but no.

"Marky, you need to leave" Mrs. Cohen hollered.

"Coming", he loudly grumbled, sliding on his shoes.

"Marky, you're gonna be late", Mrs. Cohen reminded once Mark had reached the door.

"Don't call me Marky", he growled.

"Oh, lighten up", his elder sister, Cindy, remarked from the couch as she watched reruns of 'Happy Days'.

"Bye, mom. Bye, Cindy", he grumbled, heading out the door and sliding into Roger's car which was parked in his driveway.

"Hey, man" Roger greeted exhaustedly, dressed in plaid pajamas.

"Hey", Mark replied.

"I can't believe your mother makes you take tango lessons and I can't believe she won't let you get a car; therefore, I have to get up at eleven in the fucking morning to give you a ride", Roger complained.

"Hey, it's not my fault", Mark reminded.

"True", Roger remarked.

"One day, we may look back on these drives as great male bonding time", Mark sarcastically remarked, causing Roger to snort.

"I cannot wait to drop you off, so I can go home, and go back to sleep. Why can't you get Collins to drive you?" Roger whined.

"He said no", Mark explained.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Roger rhetorically asked.

"I hate tango lessons", Mark grumbled.

"So I hear. We're here", Roger muttered.

"Bye, see you in an hour. What are you going to do for an hour in your pajamas?" Mark inquired.

"Go eat breakfast at 'Denny's'" Roger informed.

"In your pajamas?" Mark gasped.

"Yeah. Then I am picking you up, going home and sleeping", Roger reminded.

"So I hear", Mark snorted, getting out of the car, "Have fun".

And with that, Mark exited the car and entered the building. When he walked inside, he did not see Nannette. Instead he saw a breathtakingly beautiful brunette. She was about 5'6" and had curly brown hair and bright brown eyes. Mark couldn't believe it. It was her. What was she doing here?

"Are you Mark Cohen?" she asked.

Mark felt his heartbeat speed up and his palms begin to sweat. She knew his name.

"Y-Yeah, that's me", he stammered.

"I'm Maureen Johnson", the girl greeted, "I'm a friend of Nannette's. She's home sick with the flu and I know how to tango, so I'm filling in for her. We should begin".

Mark simply nodded in disbelief. He had been in love with Maureen Johnson as long as he could remember. She had never acknowledged his existence, however. All the guys fawned over her and he just sort of stood in the background and watched, wishing she was his. So far, this was the longest conversation they had ever held. What did that say?

"So how old are you?" she asked.

"F-Fifteen", he choked.

"Me too," she squealed, "You look really familiar. Do you go to Scarsdale High?"

Mark simply nodded. His throat had gone dry and he simply assumed he had lost the ability to form words as well as produce full sentences.

"I think you're in my World History class", Maureen mused.

"Y-Yeah", he stuttered, finally forcing himself to speak, "You've been in my class every year since kindergarten".

Oh no. What if he's said the wrong thing? What if Maureen thought he was a stalker now? What if she was completely creeped out by him? He felt like jumping up and down yelling "I am not a stalker, I promise", but decided to refrain.

"Oh yeah, you hang out with Roger Davis, right?" she clarified.

Of course she would remember Roger. Oh God. What if she liked Roger? He felt his heart sink. She probably did. Everyone loved Roger. It wasn't fair.

"Yeah", Mark replied.

"Okay, I know who you are", she smiled.

Maureen turned on the music and the two began to dance.

"So, move your foot back, like this", Maureen instructed, "Good job, now do this. Great".

The two continued to dance for quite some time until the lesson was finally over.

"Thank you", Mark thanked.

"Any time", Maureen grinned, pressing her lips against Mark's.

He felt his heart beat speed up and his head begin spinning. His stomach was in knots and his palms were sweating to no end. The two finally broke the kiss and he almost pinched his arm to make sure this was real.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" Maureen asked.

**Fin**

**A/N: Well, that's it. I hope you liked it. I didn't, but whatever. I'm bored. Mark/Maureen fics kill the boredom. Please, please, please review! ******


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